On March 28th in VU FEBA was marked one of the most significant events in the recent life of the faculty: the opening of the Lab for Behavioural Economics and Consumer Decision Making laboratories. New laboratories will provide Vilnius University with great opportunities to become not only a national but also a regional leader in consumer behavior research and experimental and behavioral economics.
During the event, Dr. Justina Baršytė, Head of the new Consumer Decision-Making Laboratory (CMD Lab), shared her initial vision of a simple laboratory—a small room with cardboard boxes. In response, Prof. Dr. Aida Mačerinskienė, the Dean of the Faculty, exclaimed, "If we're going to do it, let's do it right!" With this determined attitude, the CMD Lab was established as the world's third consumer decision-making laboratory. It boasts 12 separate cubicles, each equipped with computers and specialized equipment for experimental research. Additionally, there's a mini-shop designed to assess the impact of interventions on purchasing behavior in a controlled, real-life environment.
The main areas of research in the CDM LAB will focus on sustainable, circular, health and environmental consumer evaluation and decision-making; social influence and persuasion; social and personal norms. The lab will conduct Multimodal research using NoldusHUB solutions that fully integrates and collects data on facial expressions, eye tracking, and physiology with the possibility to have seamless data collection and live visualization for more participants simultaneously (FaceReader, Schimmer, Tobii). "This laboratory will allow us to facilitate high-quality data collection for publications in top international peer-reviewed journals.” – said Dr Baršytė.
Dr. Andrius Kažukauskas, Head of the new Laboratory of Economic Behavior at VU LABBE, introduced the laboratory, emphasizing that it is the first project of its kind in the Baltic States. This initiative will conduct experimental research specifically relevant to our region. VU LABBE will serve as a centralized research and teaching facility, equipped with a mobile laboratory containing 40 laptops. Additionally, a research team will be recruited later this year. This laboratory will facilitate the establishment of a network and community of experimental researchers within Vilnius University and beyond.
This huge step forward in the field of science at the faculty was shared with guest researchers from Belgium and the Netherlands, who contributed their guidance during establishment of new laboratories. Siegfried Dewitte (Professor at Department of Marketing, Behavioral Engineering Group, KU Leuven, Belgium), Bob M. Fennis (Professor of Consumer Behavior at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands), Reinder Dallinga (Business Research Lab manager at the University of Groningen FEBA, the Netherlands) and Michail Kokkoris (Associate Professor of Marketing at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands) shared their insights and exchanged good practice on how to run behavioral labs.
Later Rimvydas Baltaduonis (co-director of Gettysburg Lab for Experimental Economics, Gettysburg College, scientist at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University) held a research seminar "Advantages and Possibilities of Experimental Economics Laboratory".
Leadership in economics and management research and studies is one of the strategic goals of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Vilnius University. Our aim is to unite professionals in economics and management to develop studies and research at an international level, while also fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. We believe that the new laboratories will play a significant role in achieving this goal.